Reserved
by findfaithinlife4712
Summary: When you close your eyes at night, do you ever imagine how your future will turn out? Who you will marry, what your kids will look like.. how you'll die? This will be a KakashiXoc later on.
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome to the first chapter of this story! I hope you enjoy, and if you want, let me know what you think. :) Please don't be harsh if you leave a review haha, just constructive criticism. **

**~findfaith**

**Oh, almost forgot..**  
_**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Naruto or Naruto Shippuden whatsoever. Nope, nadda.**_

* * *

When you close your eyes at night, do you ever imagine how your future will turn out? Who you'll marry, what your kids will look like... how you'll die?

Becoming a ninja, you set yourself up with hard decisions and hard situations while in the battle field. Along with these decisions and situations, death is around every corner. Each time you take yourself out on a mission, you risk losing the life or lives of people you've come to know while becoming stronger and passing ranks. You risk your own life, just for the sake of the village.

Ever since I was a small child, I would have never thought I'd make it this far. I dreamed of making something of myself, and I passed that dream long ago, but now in this very moment I regret what I've become. With different shades of green and brown that pass by me in a blur, the hard decisions and situations I'm facing now, that put my life on the line is losing all reasoning. Was dying really going to help any part of the village? How was someone like me going to make any kind of difference?

My muscles ache with every leap I take. My lungs feel as though ice has completely frozen them and is making it so difficult to breathe. My sweat tries to cool my overheated body down and stings my eyes in the process as it rolls across my face. No matter how fast I seem to move, the _**clunk**_ of kunai and shuriken being thrown at me and getting embedded in tree trunks around my body just proves how slow I'm actually going. Yet, no matter how badly my body hurts, no matter how tired I am and how much chakra I've lost, my body doesn't want to stop. I don't want to give up and die. I've got so much stuff to do, and I've got a family that needs me.

'_C'mon, Eri, just hold out a little –' _

My thoughts got interrupted when a man dressed in black appeared in front of me. Abruptly, I stopped and took a hesitant step back on the branch I was on.

"You really think we'd let you get away with our possession, little girl?" His lips formed a smirk before he let out a low whistle. All the ninja that were pursuing me backed off some and one threw a sword to the guy in front of me. He let loose a harsh laugh when he caught it and leaped towards me, sword drawn and ready to slice me at connection. My aching muscles slowed my movements, but before his sword made contact, I staggered out of the way. Once this happened a few more times, I noticed his movements becoming slower. _'He's teasing me; he knows I won't be able to do much while so exhausted. I'm so useless.'_

"Is that all you got, stupid girl? Or are you going to defend yourself instead of dodging every attack I throw at you." I let out a snort of anger before watching him move even slower to slice me up. It fueled what little anger I had left in me, so I mustered up whatever strength I had left inside my worn out body and threw myself at him.

He watched my little burst of energy before he had a devouring smile on his face and shot himself full speed at me, grabbing ahold of the hand I held a kunai in and shoved it away before taking his sword and ramming it into my stomach. My body succumbed to the attack and rested against the man, my head touching his shoulder, before he yanked the sword from my stomach and jumped back. I dropped to my knees only to fall off the branch I was on to the ground with my hands on my wound. The pain was so unbearable; it licked at all my nerves and felt as though my abdomen was set on fire. I didn't know I was screaming until I took a huge gulp of air in and chocked on it a little. My vision was begging to waver, from either crying or just plain exhaustion, I wasn't for sure, but before I was swimming in a sea of darkness, I saw a flash of white and a strange chirping sound.

* * *

"—lost a lot of blood... chakra loss... muscles ripped –" My hearing kept coming in and out while my mind tried to regain consciousness, a faint beeping noise catching my attention a few times and I tried to force my eyes open to see what was happening. When I was finally starting to win against the weight of my eye lids, exhaustion shot through my veins like lightening and I fell back into the black abyss.

A ray of light hit my eyes and woke me up. I squinted and took my hand and put it against my head, groaning. Trying to sit up, a bolt of pain went through my stomach and I cried out.

"Be careful, you banged yourself up quite a bit." Looking around, I spotted Lady Tsunade standing a few feet away, writing on a piece of paper. "You've been asleep for about a week now, and you're going to have to stay here for a couple more weeks until your chakra is back to normal and your muscles have healed. The wound on your stomach will probably heal the easiest, it didn't hit anything major and it came out the back fairly clean. A few more rounds of healing will do it, but some will have to heal on its own. Your muscles are a different story, but won't take as long as your chakra." I nodded my head thinking everything through. I looked down at my body and saw random parts covered in gauze.

"How did I get here?" I cleared my hoarse throat and took the cup of water that Lady Tsunade handed over towards me.

"Kakashi Hatake and his team were passing through when they heard you scream. They had to take out a whole group of mist ninja.. How did so many find you out?"

"I'm not sure, it was like they were waiting for me. After I got the scroll, they all showed up out of nowhere." I winced at the memory and sat the cup of water on the table near the bed. The busty woman sighed and looked at me apologetically. I shook my head before she could say anything. "Don't worry about it, if I had a team with me, more people could possibly be hurt."

"Or maybe everything would be fine and you wouldn't be in this hospital bed. I'll have to be more careful when it comes to sending solo missions out there." She sat the pen down she had in her hand and took a seat next to me. "Your mask, what happened to it?" Her voice turned dark and it surprised me some. I shrugged my shoulders (flinching after I pulled the act) before letting out a deep sigh.

"I'm not positive, but it doesn't matter. It was shattered. I lost it at the beginning of the mission, some guy tore it off my face." I gasped before grabbing Lady Tsunades arm. "They were.. they were so fast. I didn't even detect them. They literally showed up out of nowhere. And this one guy.. he was dressed in black, he was playing with me. None of them treated me seriously. Nothing I threw at them slowed them down. Every jutsu I tried was a waste of my energy, didn't even touch them." The Hokage took a long look into my eyes before she stood up slowly.

"Maybe they put a genjutsu on you to make it seem that way." I shook my head.

"I don't know, maybe. But how the guy acted at the end, he whistled and a guy threw him a sword. Everyone else backed off –"

"Lady Tsunade, someone needs your immediate attention!" The nurse left as fast as she came. I looked at Lady Tsunade as she hurried to gather her stuff.

"Just.. I'll figure out who these people are. I'll get back to you about it when I get time. Go to sleep, it'll help you heal." With that, I watched the Hokage leave in a rush. I turned my head to look out the window and sighed.

'_Of course I'd get myself into this type of situation.'_

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**There's a high chance Kakashi will show up in the next chapter, but until then, uh.. have a good day? Or maybe night lol. :P**


	2. Chapter 2

**And here is Chapter Two. It took me a little while to write it because I wasn't certain how I should make them meet, but anyway, this chapter takes place a few days after Naruto and the team gets back from saving Gaara, and when Yamato, Naruto, Sai and Sakura leave to meet up with Kabuto at the bridge. I hope it's decent haha. Review if you want! I'm not gonna beg for it but whatever.**

_**Disclaimer: I Don't Own Naruto, never have, never will.**_

**~findfaith**

* * *

- 3 weeks later -

"Lady Hokage has asked for your presence."

I lazily looked over towards my opened window and saw the porcelain owl mask of my seeker before they vanished. With a sigh, I closed the book I was reading and crawled out of bed. I've been discharged from the hospital for a day now, me being told that I'll need another month of healing before I could do any missions that would strain my body and chakra. I like this mini vacation I've got, even if I'm in slight pain. I hardly get any free time.

While locking my apartment door, Mrs. Mana, my elderly neighbor, came out of her apartment and walked up to me.

"I overheard that you've gotten injured on a recent mission. I hope your injuries aren't too bad, if you want, I'll make you dinner tonight." She gently put her hand on my arm and smiled. I smiled back sadly and pocketed my key.

"I'd love too, Mrs. Mana, but I can't. Tonight my parents wanted me over." Mrs. Mana gave me a soft nod and continued to smile.

"Well maybe next time, dear." Then she walked off back into her apartment.

I took my time while heading towards the Hokage Tower, admiring the view of the people bustling around and children playing. When I ended up walking past the hospital, a bitter look came upon my face.

_~ flashback_

"_And why do I need my parents signature to leave?!" I was sitting up in the hospital bed glaring at the brown haired nurse who held her hands up in between us._

"_B-because Miss, you're under the age of twenty-one, a parent or guardian has to sign you out to ensure your safety." Her shrill voice shook with her nervousness. I growled and brought my hand up to my face, looking through my spread fingers._

"_Nurse, I'm in the Anbu AND I live alone. I don't need a parent's signature; I can take care of myself. So just let me sign the stupid paper so I can leave this god awful place!"_

"_I'm s-sorry Miss Hisoka, but your parents must be involved." My patience was running thin at this point; I've been stuck in the same room doing the same things for almost a month. Lying back against the bed, I nodded my head at her and ushered her out. Not even ten minutes later my mother and father was signing the sheet of paper and the nurse allowed me to leave._

"_Eri.." My mother began to talk before I raised my hand to stop her. I brought both of them close before I quickly made hand signs and poofed us to their house. I grabbed my father's arm when a dizzy spell started to take over me and my mother started screaming about how I shouldn't use my chakra so soon out of the hospital. Waving my hand back and forth, I mumbled "yeah, yeah" while opening the door and walking in._

_~ end of flashback_

By the time my reminiscing ended, I found myself in front of the door to Lady Tsunade's office. I walked in without knocking and walked up to her desk, waiting for her to turn around. When she finally did, I stood up straighter and put my hands to my sides. "You requested my presence?" I asked quoting the Anbu who showed up at my apartment window. Lady Tsunade smirked a little before she got serious and sat down to start the conversation.

"I still haven't found out who these ninja were that attacked you. That mission was supposed to be easy; the Mist was supposed to hand the scroll over with no casualties. I've got two small teams of Anbu looking into everything to see if anything can be detected. I'm sorry that your first Anbu mission ended up like this. I wanted to give you something simple and work your way up." She closed her eyes and massaged her forehead. "Even though Kakashi Hatake said all the ninja were eliminated, the one who stabbed you disappeared before he could get an attack in on him." I stood there in thought. Who is this guy? And how is he able to appear and disappear so quickly? "And about your Anbu mask, one of the teams found it and brought it back, since the man in black has already seen your face, I've decided to change the animal look of it so not to risk anything."

My body jolted as I realized that. "Oh no. What… What if he comes after my family? My parents picked me up from the hospital, if he's spying on me he knows who they are! But maybe nobody seen us since I teleported us home." I said, the last part mainly to myself. Lady Tsunade's face became red with anger and I realized she heard my last sentence.

"What! You imbecile! You've been in the hospital for 3 weeks! Your chakra is not ready to be used for extremities like that, are you trying to kill yourself?" She ended her yelling session by standing up and leaning over her desk into my face.

My eyes were wide open, staring into the Hokage's while sweat slowly rolled town my face. "I uh.. um.. I didn't hurt myself. Just got a little dizzy." I said backing up with my thumb and point finger demonstrating an inch. I laughed nervously and stood up straight again. Lady Tsunade gave me a stern look before taking a deep breath and continued where we left off.

"I don't think he would've noticed your parents, he's most likely not even in the village. But it's one of the reasons I'm going to give you a new mask, just in case." As she said that, she reached into one of her drawers and pulled out the mask that looked like a type of rodent. "It's a rat, and your new and improved Anbu mask. Be careful and don't get this one broken. I can't afford to give you a new one with every mission you take." Nodding, I took it and slipped it on. Lady Tsunade smiled and beckoned me out. When I exited through the door, I took the mask off and put it in a pouch attached to the back of my tank top. As I headed out of the Hokage Tower, I decided to go ahead and show up at my parents' house for dinner and get it over with. Within twenty minutes, I was standing in front of their door and gulped in a deep breath before I walked through the threshold.

* * *

In the hour of helping my mother cook dinner and talking to my father, I noticed my little brother wasn't around the house like he usually was. "Where's Jun at?" I asked mother while setting out plates and silverware. Before she could answer, Jun busted through the door with sweat and grim all over his body. I raised an eyebrow as I walked over towards my little eight year old brother. "What happened to you?"

"You are what happened to him." I froze at the accusation and turned to my mother who looked down upon me. I sneered at her while Jun grabbed a hold of my arm, preventing me from getting in her face.

"What's that supposed to mean? You always have something to say to me every time I'm around you people!" I yelled. I broke from my brother grasp and walked closer to her.

"Out of all the things you could do with your life, you choose something like this." Was all she said to me before she turned back around to the stove.

"I can never make you proud, can I?" I asked her. My father put his hand on my shoulder but I shrugged it off. "I can never do anything right to make you see that being a ninja isn't as horrendous as you think."

"No!" My mother screamed, "All you ninja are is killing machines! Now you go and influence your little brother into doing what is terribly wrong!"

"You.. You are so impossible. We're not killing machines, if you notice; we're out there protecting you scumbags that have no respect for us. I wasn't the one that influenced him, it's his own decision, just like it was mine. We argue every time I come over, just stop already." I said with tears in my eyes, "and accept and be proud that I'm risking my life to protect you and everyone else in this village." I pointed my finger at my slightly aching stomach and then I took a seat and filled my plate with food. Once I finished, and successfully avoided talking through the dinner, I put my plate in the sink and made my way to my brother; giving him a kiss on the cheek and then went to the door.

"Wait, Eri." Said my father. I looked at him and nodded my head towards the door, requesting we talk more privately. "I know how your mother is acting is unforgivable," He started when the door closed, "but could you please just think how this makes her feel? Her baby girl is grown up and has taken a job as something so dangerous. She's more worried than disappointed in you." I contemplated his words and slowly nodded.

"Then she needs to act it." Were my only words as I hugged him and turned to leave.

It was twilight when I finally ended up at my home, stopping along the way to pick up a box of ice cream. I got my key from the pocket of my ninja pants and unlocked the door. While taking my combat boots off, I got the pouch from my back and sat it on my small coffee table, then made my way to the kitchen to turn the lights on and put the ice cream away. I veered off to the right and turned my hallway light on, stripping my clothes as I made it to the bathroom to do the same and start my shower water.

After my relaxing shower, I walked to my room and aimlessly searched for my top drawer in the dark, taking out a large t-shirt and a pair of pink cotton panties. Then I climbed into my bed, pulling the covers over my small body as a tear fell from my eye and soaked into the pillow.

* * *

It was two days later that Lady Tsunade summoned me again. I showed up at her desk in a flash, poofing my way there. She glared at me while I laughed nervously and tried to stop feeling sick from the dizziness in my head.

"What did I tell you about using your chakra like that?" She all but hissed at me. I cracked a smile and scratched my head. I didn't notice another person was in the room, too, until they cleared their throat softly. I removed my hand from my head and stood up straighter, looking at the man from the corner of my left eye. "Ah, yes. Let's get down to business." Lady Tsunade said. I nodded my head and waited with what she had to say. "Eri, it won't be good for your healing leg muscles if you just lay around your apartment all day, by the way, how are you feeling?"

"Oh, um good I guess. My legs are mega sore, but nothing that I can't handle, and my stomach doesn't really hurt unless I turn a certain way or if I move too fast." I replied with my hand touching my almost healed wound.

Lady Tsunade nodded her head and continued on, "I'm going to pair you up with Kakashi Hatake," she pointed to the man in the room with us, "and he is going to help you with your muscles that are healing while he heals also from a recent mission." I looked at her confused but she stopped me before I could ask anything. "The only reason I'm doing this is because he's excused from missions for the time being and his team is with another instructor." I nodded my head and smiled, turning to Kakashi Hatake. I took my time looking at his strange appearance. My smile dropped when I noticed that his face what covered with a material mask and his left eye was covered by his headband. His right eye was closed and I realized he was giving me a smile, one in his own way. My smile came back again at his attempt and held out my hand for him to shake.

"I never got to thank you for saving me, so thanks." I said once we pulled our hands away from each other. He shrugged his shoulders and told me not to worry about it.

"In the morning at 7 o'clock, meet me at training ground 3 for our first meeting." He told me lazily before pulling a well read, yellow book from his ninja pouch when the Hokage dismissed us. I nodded in acknowledgment while walking down the hallway with him. _'He looks so mysterious, I wonder if he'll take that mask off any.'_ I thought.

"See ya." He said as he suddenly poofed away. I raised my eyebrow and kept on walking.

* * *

- Next day -

By the time 8 o'clock rolled around on my watch, I was walking in circles, fuming at how much time was being wasted that I could've slept with. When 9 o'clock hit, I was sitting against a tree, taking the time to doze off until I heard a _pop. _I sat up abruptly and looked at the two and a half hour late Kakashi with the smoke from the jutsu disappearing around him.

"Yo." Was all he said as he threw his hand up and gave me a close eyed smile. Growling, I stood up and stomped over towards him.

"Where have you been? It's three hours past the time you gave me!" I yelled with my fists balled up. Kakashi looked at me for a second before telling me he got lost on the path of life.

"C'mon, let's get started. Time has already been wasted." He led me into the middle of the training ground and sat down, gesturing for me to do the same.

"Yeah, because of you!" What ninja was late at the time arrangement that he set himself? All Kakashi did was look at me with a close eyed smile again, and my own eye started to twitch in annoyance. When I finally sat on the ground, we got down to business.

* * *

**Next chapter will cover what all happens at the training ground. I'm not sure when I'll post it, just whenever I finish writing it out and then type it. I might add stuff about Eri while she's training with Kakashi, just to give a little insight about her life and when she became apart of the Anbu (which obviously wasn't long ago). I don't know if it's odd shes walking around without her new Anbu mask on, but I'm writing it that way. I doubt the Anbu members walk every single place with their masks on when they aren't on a mission or doing stuff around the village, they could, but I just don't see them doing it so I'm writing it how I feel it would be. I hope you liked this chapter.**  
**Until next time.**

**~findfaith**


	3. Chapter 3

**I honestly had no idea I'd be posting so soon, but this idea popped up in my head and I couldn't help it. This time I will wait probably until the middle of the week to post another chapter because I want to make them longer and have more detail. I know I don't have the best writing skills, but I'm trying to make this interesting and enjoyable. I'm sorry if it seems I'm jumping through things fast, I'm just trying to get this part over with so I can start everything involving the Hisoka clan and more things about Eri. **

_**Disclaimer: In no way shape or form do I own any characters in Naruto or the Naruto series.**_

**I hope you enjoy. :)**

**~findfaith**

* * *

"Kakashi," I panted out, "I don't – I don't think I can do any more. My legs hurt so badly, it feels like they're gonna fall off." I was currently lying on my back, the grass tickling my bare arms, and I closed my eyes to shield them from the harsh evening sun. A shadow fell upon my face so I cracked an eye back open to see what was going on.

"Lying around isn't going to help your problem. You have to work passed the pain to heal easily." Kakashi stood above me with his arms loosely crossed, the look in his visible eye made me think he wanted to rest too.

"Lady Tsunade said you were recovering from a recent mission. Sit down and relax, you've been at it all morning, also." I patted the ground next to my body and watch Kakashi roll his eye. "C'mon, you know you want to." Reluctantly, he sat on the grown a couple feet away from me. We sat in silence for a few minutes before I spoke again, "Lets play a game. I have no idea who you are, so lets get to know each other." Kakashi nodded his head slowly before he spoke.

"Alright. Since you came up with it, you can go first." I shook my head but asked what he wanted to know. "How about your full name, what you like, don't like, and hobbies."

"Okay, well my full name is Eri Hisoka, I like.. hmm, I like meat, and I don't like sour things." I put my finger to my chin and scrunched up my face, "I don't really do much, but I guess reading is a good enough hobby as anything else. What about you?" He gave the question some thought before he finally spoke.

"You already know my name, and as for my likes and dislikes, well, you don't need to know. And as for hobbies.. I have lots of them."

I sat up and looked at Kakashi, who in return gave me a closed eye smile. "That's it? You didn't tell me anything! That's not fair! Well what about dreams? Do you have any?!" I glared at him and waited for him to speak.

"Of course I have dreams, who doesn't? You asked to play the game, but I didn't say I'd tell you anything about me." Kakashi stood up and waved his hand for me to do the same.

"That's a load of bologna! Oooh, I'll so get you back for that!" I exclaimed once I finally managed to get my legs to hold me up.

"Yeah, whatever." He said, "Now, enough sitting around, bend down and touch your toes then hold it there for ten seconds. Remember, no pain, no gain." His point finger pointed into the air and he gave me his signature smile.

"I can't do that, I could hardly get up!" I yelled. He sighed and rubbed his head gently before speaking again, his tone oddly serious, more so now than it had been all day.

"Just do it, Eri. It'll help stretch out your muscles. When the medical ninja healed you, it caused your muscles to knot up. Now you're going to have to work those knots out, which could take a few more days." I nodded my head in obedience before trying to bend down. I barely made it past my knees only to feel the burning sensation that made me groan in pain.

"Please, Kakashi. My legs hurt so bad, can't we stop for the day?" I asked quietly. Kakashi looked at me and sighed softly, telling me we would have to do more tomorrow. I nodded my head fast in agreement, and then we began to walk out of the training ground. Er.. well me hobbling, that is.

* * *

It wasn't until Kakashi spotted Ichiraku's when he turned around and stopped walking. "What?" I asked simply. He rolled his visible eye and shook his head.

"Why are you following me?"

"Well, why not? I've got nothing else to do." I tried to hobble faster to keep in step with him, but my legs wouldn't allow it, and it seemed Kakashi wouldn't either as he kept speeding up whenever I got close to him. "Would you slow down a bit?"

"Would you stop following me?" Narrowing my eyes, I shook my head no.

When we took our seats and ordered our food, I looked at Kakashi expectantly and he gave me a look that asked _'what?' _ "Oh, well remember me saying I'd get you back?" I paused long enough for him to nod his head, "good. You're paying for my meal." I looked away from him nonchalantly, picking around my nails. I looked over to Kakashi when he didn't say anything to my declaration and noticed he was gone. "W—what.." Where he was seated, a piece of napkin was scribbled upon saying _'Have fun paying for both Ramens –K.' _Fuming, I slammed the napkin down and threw money on the counter and left, not even waiting for the food to show up.

The next morning started off… differently than what I'm used to. When Kakashi showed up late again, I threw a big fit that resulted in him getting hit on the head. As of now, I was sitting on the ground slowly touching my toes, all the while glaring at Kakashi and smirking at the bump on his head. His lone eye drooped as he massaged it gently. "That's what you get for being four hours late." I said once I finished touching my toes. I started to stand up and realized that my legs didn't ache as bad as they did yesterday. _'I guess these stupid stretches are paying off.'_

* * *

-2 ½ weeks later -

*3rd person*

Kakashi Hatake walked through the deserted hallway of the Hokage Tower; Lady Tsunade had asked him to come over immediately. Rounding up to the door, he rapped his knuckles against the hard surface gently, waiting to be let in. Not even a second later, Shizune, Lady Hokage's assistant, opened the door and ushered him inside, slipping past him to leave the Hokage and himself some privacy.

"Yes, my lady?" Kakashi asked, stopping in front of Lady Tsunade's desk.

"I've gathered some details about this 'man in black'. He's a former Stone shinobi who deserted the village almost twenty years ago. The Hidden Stone classified him as an S rank missing nin, and has sent hunter nin to execute him for leaking village intel—"

"What rank was he when he left?" Kakashi interrupted, becoming alert with the information he was acquiring. Lady Tsunade glared at him before she continued speaking.

"Give me time, I was about to get there." She replied coldly. Kakashi nodded his head apologetically. "As I was saying, the Stone Village's Kage tried to have him killed. Anbu figured out the man in black was a highly skilled Jounin, and much like he did with you, disappeared before anything could happen. It seems to be some type of teleportation jutsu. There's a clan that lives off from the Hidden Stone Village towards the east. They specialize with teleportation jutsu, it's the Hisoka clan."

"Hisoka? As in Eri Hisoka?" Kakashi asked, his voice deathly serious.

"Yes, but she doesn't even know she's from a clan. As you know, she, her brother and parents came here a year ago from the Hidden Mist Village. I've brought Jiro and Kazue Hisoka in here for questioning a few days ago. Jiro said that he left his clan and the Land of Rock to start anew because of his clan's ways." Lady Tsunade picked a piece of paper up and handed it over towards Kakashi. "This is Kichirou Hisoka, aka the 'man in black', he's Jiro's older brother and Eri's uncle." Kakashi waited until the Hokage finished speaking before he started.

"Why are you telling me this? Shouldn't this be information for the rest of the Anbu?" He asked. Lady Tsunade sighed then answered.

"Since you have healed from your Sharingan, and Naruto and Sakura are mostly with Yamato, I'm going to be sending you out on missions to track this guy's movements. Jiro mentioned that something is inside a woman's chest when they are born into the Hisoka clan every other generation. He thinks Eri was born with that something. Her hair and eye color give it away, but it can't be proved unless tested with a sacred jewel back at the clan's main house. Kichirou wants whatever is inside of Eri. I also want you to stay near her, think of it as a.. side mission while at home. And don't tell her a word of this. Jiro doesn't want her to know, at least not yet." Lady Tsunade finished and leaned forward, her elbows on the desk and her face in her hands.

Kakashi nodded then said, "When do you want me to leave? I was supposed to start teaching Naruto the leaf splitting technique with Yamato tomorrow. Do you want me to hold off or..?"

"Go ahead and teach him," the busty blonde replied, "I still need to figure everything out involving this situation and who should be going with you. I don't want to take a chance and let you go alone." Kakashi nodded his head before turning to walk out of the door, pondering over the news he had just learned.


	4. Chapter 4

**Woop, chapter 4 is complete :p I worked on and off of this for 3 days so I hope you like it! It's way longer than the others I've posted and I'm hoping I can do the rest of the chapters the same in the future. I've decided this little story will be around 8 to 12 chapters long. Maybe more if I get any other ideas for it. I just don't want to drag out the same problem Eri will be facing for like 20 chapters with nothing else happening. Welllll, with all this said, I hope you enjoy, and if you'd like, send me a review. I'm not a pro at writing stories, as you can tell from my last chapters. So don't expect anything amazing like some stories authors write on this site. I'm just having a little fun and adventuring in writing. I've never ever wrote anything this long before, I never know how to finish, but I plan to finish this. :) So before you criticize my writing, just take that into consideration please! Sorry for the long note, I just wanted this to be said.**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Kakashi, Naruto, or anyone else I'll bring into this story, as we all know, they all belong to the creator of Naruto; Masashi Kishimoto. **_

**~findfaith**

* * *

I aimlessly walked around my apartment trying to find something to do to pass the time. Ever since my healing stretches and exercises I had with Kakashi stopped, my life has consisted of lying around and watching TV while stealing a few glances at the forever growing take out box pile hoarded up in my kitchen since Lady Tsunade still isn't letting me do missions.

"I guess it's time I clean this up." I mumbled as I walked towards the stench, carefully stepping around the pile of dirty boxes. My face scrunched up in disgust as I looked at the mess. Crouching down, I opened the cabinet door underneath my sink and pulled out a few garbage bags with a bucket and cleaning supplies. I sat all the products on the counter and formed hand signs to make two water clones.

A few minutes later, I watched with satisfaction as one clone picked up trash and the other scrubbed the floor. "Make sure you get the edges near the counter.. Yeah, just like that." I commented with my hands on my hips. I turned around and headed towards my bedroom after a while of watching, going straight to my dresser and picking out a pair of ripped skinny jeans and a sports bra with a loose fitting gray tank top. I then made my way to the bathroom and started my shower water.

While waiting for the water to heat up, I took my clothes off and looked into the mirror. My emerald eyes stared at my unruly black hair as I brushed it out, then looked at my slim face before moving down to look at the rest of my fit body. I sighed in sadness at the scar on my abdomen before I hopped into the now ready shower.

After I finished my shower and dressed, I made my way back into the entrance of the kitchen while towel drying my hair. I looked at my spotless kitchen and thanked the clones before they disappeared. Removing the towel from my head, I poorly ranked through my hair and pulled my combat boots on, walking out of my apartment door and locking it.

'_It's so crowded today.'_ I looked at random people scattering about and put my fingers in the front pockets of my jeans trying to calm my nerves. Sighing, I drifted my eyes to the ground; away from all the happy, shining faces. Someone accidentally bumped into me, apologizing while continuing their merry way, and my pace quickened as I tried to get away from everyone, my heart erratically beating in my chest as if it wanted to jump out of my body. Almost knocking people down in my haste to get away, I made my escape in a deserted ally way and lifted my eyes from the ground, my sight landing on a little girl in a white dress, a big smile adorning her face and her eyes shining a bright blue. She skipped past me but it was like my gaze didn't want to leave her retreating form.

Regaining my composer, I inhaled deeply and looked at the brick wall in front of me before making hand signs and poofed myself to the Hokage Mountain. I exhaled my breath then walked to the Thirds head and took a seat, enjoying the afternoon sun and the peace that came with it.

"Aren't you awfully close to the edge?" I glared at the buildings, my little bit of peace disappearing when the voice interrupted.

"Why are you here, Kakashi?" I asked, my tone sounding aggravated. I turned my head and to stare at him but something caught my attention. "Dude. You look terrible. What happened?" The rest of my body twisted so I could get a better look at Kakashi. His shoulders were slumped and his visible eye was dark underneath and bloodshot, either from the lack of sleep or someone seriously doing a number on him.

"Oh nothing. Just haven't been sleeping that well, but enough of me, should you really be using your chakra for such a distance?" He replied nodding his head in the direction I came from. I jumped up and narrowed my eyes when I got closer to him.

"What, you spying on me now you perv? I guess it should be expected since you read them awful pieces of 'literature'. I don't understand how you can set through a sentence of it," I shook my head towards the ground, "Why are you even following me?" I asked curiously.

"No, I'm not spying. Just thought I'd pay a visit to a friend and catch up on the last week of us being apart. And it doesn't matter, they're actually really enjoyable." He said with a closed eye smile. I cringed at the sight and backed off some.

"You really should get some sleep, you look like how my kitchen did this morning; disgusting." Kakashi's shoulders slumped even more in defeat before he straightened up.

"You're going off track," he said seriously, "why did you even act like that back there? You went and unnecessarily used a lot of chakra, going half way across the village. What were you thinking?" He asked sternly.

"Tsk, it's none of your business. Our little mission together is over with; you should feel no need to communicate with me. I thought you didn't like being all goody goody with people? You sure seemed it when we were assigned together." I said accusingly and folded my arms across my chest. My face contorted in anger as I thought more about the situation. "Why were you following me, Kakashi?" I asked again. He sighed loudly and didn't answer. Angrily, I lashed out. "You're such a creep! Who goes around following people they don't even know?! And doesn't have an answer for why they're doing it! Stay away from me, Kakashi, I don't have time for somebody else's childish antics." I hissed at him and turned away, raising my hands to make more signs.

Kakashi took my hands and looked into my eyes with anger. "The Hokage said not to over use your chakra like that." He spat out. I jerked my hands from him and staggered back.

"And why do you care? Why should anyone?! I can take care of myself, I do most of the time anyhow!" Sadness shown into my eyes and Kakashi's widen in surprise before looking at me lazily. Realizing that things were escalating rather quickly, I turned and ran away, pushing chakra into my legs to get away faster.

'_This day is going downhill so fast.' _I thought sadly and watched the trees whipping passed me in a blur, their beautiful colors mushing together. Out of the corner of my eye, a flash of silver bounded up to me in a fast pace and in return I pushed more chakra into my running limbs. _'Please, Kakashi, just leave me alone.'_ My request didn't happen as wire wrapped around my body and Kakashi pulled, making me slam into a nearby tree. Air was knocked out of my lungs as my body made impact with the rough surface. A thump sounded in front of me and my gaze went up to stare Kakashi in the eye.

"You sure are a poor Anbu member if you fell for that trick, must be why you were so badly injured on your last mission." He taunted. My teeth bared in anger and I struggled to get free.

"What would you know? You don't even know who I am!" I screamed out frustrated.

"Hmm." He crouched down in front of me and continued to wrap the wire around the tree and my body, then sat down, letting his long legs fold up and setting his hands on his knees. "Why don't you tell me about yourself then?" He asked. I stared at him uncertainly before my eyebrows drew together in anger.

"Why should I? Ugnnnn, you're so weird, Kakashi Hatake!" I struggled harder against the wire, it biting into my skin and leaving deep indentions.

"You're going to make yourself bleed, Eri. Stop struggling. Just tell me about how and when you became an Anbu member." He said nonchalantly, leaning back on his hands.

"You interrogating me now? What's going on!" My mind started forming horrible scenarios; Ibiki Morino holding me against my will and Inoichi Yamanaka prodding my brain for anything I might have performed in the short amount of time I've been here that would do the village harm. My breath quickened and I strained against the wire, causing it to cut into my skin. Kakashi shot up and pulled the wire from my body.

"Eri, stop freaking out, like I said, I just want to get to know you." Kakashi held his hands up in a peace offering but I didn't pay any mind to it, and formed quick hand signs, a cloud of smoke taking place of where I stood.

I showed up at my apartment, blood running down my arms and a look of horror on my face. I walked backwards before my back hit the wall and I slid down it. My attention turned to the small streams of dark red going ever which direction down my pale arms and thought about what happened.

'_What's wrong with me? He's probably just curious, who wouldn't be? I'm still new here.' _I shakily stood back up after a bit and walked to the bathroom to clean up the bloody mess on my body. In the process, a small, almost undetectable thump resonated from the living room and I quickly wrapped my upper arms before making my way towards the intruder.

Kakashi stood in the middle of my tiny living room, looking at the slight smear of blood on the wall. He turned to me with an unreadable emotion glinting in his visible eye and took a seat when I gestured for him to do so. I stood in front of him awkwardly, nervously wrapping my fingers together.

"I wasn't meaning to come off as interrogating you, I was just wondering about how you came to such a rank. You don't seem like the type of person who'd become an Anbu." He said softly. I nodded slightly and sat down on the floor in front of him to tell my story.

"Originally, I'm from the Mist Village," I started. "Before that, when I was younger, my parent's travelled a lot and I ended up almost everywhere on the map. I don't remember some of it, but when my brother was born, they decided to settle down and ended up in the Mist." I said thoughtfully. "I remember being so fascinated by ninja while traveling, I met so many and I just became addicted with the thought of becoming one. My father was hesitant about the idea, and my mother down right refused it. I never did find out why she disliked the shinobi world so much. I mean, who wouldn't want to help people in need, ya know?" I asked cheekily.

Kakashi gave me a closed eyed smile and gently agreed with me.

"When I was around eight, there was this older man who taught me the basics. At first my dad was against it but then allowed me, letting me sneak behind my mother's back. I guess he could see that I truly wanted to be a ninja. We kept the training from my mother until we settled in the Mist. My father took me to the Mizukage and he allowed me to become a Genin as long as I carried out every mission with success. My mom was so disappointed in me, it hurt deeply when she didn't support me in what I was doing." I paused briefly in thought. "I don't know why I didn't have to do the test to prove I was to be a Genin, but I'm glad I didn't have too. Killing a bunch of kids my age wouldn't have went well with me. I still had to kill a bunch of people, though." I said sadly. "When I was promoted to Chuunin at age 13, I went on a lot of sacrificing missions."

"The Mist has a cruel way of handling things." Kakashi spoke up.

"Yeah, but if you think about it, so does every other shinobi nation. Just a way to keep intel from leaking from the village it originated from." I said nonchalantly. "Then when I was 17, I finally became a Jounin. I was so happy; I always thought that if I made it that far, then my life was set. But something happened with my father and this other man when I was 18, not long after, we were forced to leave the village and my father brought us here. He had heard so many great things about the village and wanted to try it out since we never traveled around here."

"How come not many shinobi were informed of your arrival? I didn't even know of you until that day in the forest." Kakashi said, leaning back into the couch interested with what I was saying. I shrugged my shoulders at his question.

"I'm not really sure, I did a lot of outside missions for about 10 months before Lady Tsunade suggested that I take the Anbu exam because of my skills increasing. So I took it two months ago. She said I passed it with flying colors and assigned me to a simple mission a week later. Then, well you know the rest." I ended with a small smile. Kakashi and I sat in a calm silence before I asked him about his past.

"I don't know, Eri. I don't really like talking about it." He said, his demeanor changing dramatically. I stood up in anger.

"I don't get you Kakashi. I just told you about my whole life and you can't even tell me how you at least became a Jounin?" I asked with slight sadness. Kakashi took in a deep breath before replying.

"I asked the Hokage if I could step down from the Anbu, and he let me." He said, stating about the Third. I leaned forward in Kakashi's face excitedly.

"You were in the Anbu?! That's so awesome! Why did you want to quit? Being a member makes me feel so superior, even if I just joined." Kakashi shrugged at my question and didn't answer. My excitement bubbled down and I looked at him sadly. "Did you have a bad experience or something?" I asked. Again, Kakashi shrugged before he asked me another question.

"Do you have anxiety problems?" I looked at Kakashi taken aback. Apparently he witnessed what happened earlier. Like him, I shrugged my shoulders then walked into the kitchen to get some water for my dry throat. Returning with the glass, I sat beside of him and propped my feet up on my miniature coffee table.

"Not really. I just don't like being in crowds, it makes me feel like if something bad happens, I won't be able to get out." Kakashi nodded his head in understanding. I turned my head in his direction and admired his well-structured face. I tried to imagine what it looked like underneath that stupid black mask. "Do you ever take that off?" I asked, pointing at the unneeded contraption.

"No." He replied simply. I looked at him weirdly and he gave me his unique smile. I laughed at him and got up from the couch, looking at my knickknacks lined up on the book shelf nervously.

"Say, do you wanna go to the festival coming up next Friday with me?" I asked, hope pouring from my words. My face darkened when I turned around and stared him in the eye. His eye was wide open and, unnoticed by me, a slight blush formed on his cheeks.

"L-like as a date?" He stuttered out awkwardly, quickly removing himself from the couch in a flash. I look at him strangely before nodding my head. We stared at each other for a few seconds before he finally answered.

"Okay." He muttered out with his hand behind his head, scratching at it nervously. I let out the breath I was holding in and smile widely at him.

* * *

It was a couple days later that Kakashi and me was hanging out in my apartment and I thought it'd be a good idea to blend something up to have before going to bed.

"Okay, okay, okay." I kept chanting as the blender I had running wouldn't stop and was slinging smoothie all over the place. "Kakashi! Make it stop!" I shouted as I bolted out of the room. He charged in with a pillow that was on my couch to shield his face from the drink I tried to make. "Hey! That was expensive!" I yelled over the noise. Kakashi looked back at me with his closed eye smile before turning back and hurriedly pulling the plug in out of the outlet. He walked back over towards me and threw the pillow into the wash room on the left. We stared at the mess together before I sighed deeply and closed my eyes, then reopening them when I heard a poof. Another Kakashi stood in the room and began to get supplies to clean everything up.

"Aw, thanks. You're so nice!" I squealed while he rolled his eye.

"I thought you said I was a creep?" He said, referring to our argument two days before.

"Well, you are. But you're nice, too" I said and stuck my tongue out at him. He walked over towards the couch and sat down before speaking.

"I'll probably be leaving on a mission tomorrow, so I don't know how long it'll be before I can see you." He said finally. I pouted and took the stool that was by my counter and sat it in front of him then took a seat.

"But what about the festival?" I asked.

"I'll be back before then. I just got a hunch that one of Asuma's students is planning to get revenge." I bit my lip when I thought about Kakashi's now dead friend, Asuma Sarutobi. We went to his funeral the day before and Kakashi noticed one of his students, Shikamaru Nara never showed up. It's always hard when you lose someone you love.

"Alright, well be careful I guess." I whispered, thinking of my run in with the criminals that put me in the position where I am now; sitting at a lonely apartment for almost a month since getting out of the hospital. Kakashi nodded his head before getting up and walking to the door, leaving for the night.

The next morning I hopped out of bed, a small spring laced with my steps as I bounded my way towards my dresser. Once I picked out a blue, flowered mid-thigh skirt with a soft cream colored blouse, I took my French braid out and gently styled my dark locks before spraying hairspray in it. I walked to my closet and got a pair of flats out and made my way to do some much needed grocery shopping.

As I was walking in the same direction Ichiraku Ramen was in, I couldn't resist the aroma and made my way to the tiny restaurant. I took a seat next to a blonde haired boy with an orange and black jumpsuit on that had stacks of empty bowls around the current bowl he seemingly inhaled. I smiled at the enthusiasm he seemed to have for the delicious noodles and ordered my own. The blonde haired boy looked over at me and smiled widely.

"Hey, you're that one girl me and Kakashi sensei saved!" He said loudly. I turned to look at him and asked for his name. His smile widened as he pointed his thumb at himself, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki and I'm gonna be the next Hokage! Believe it!"

"Oh, well it's nice to meet you, Naruto. I didn't know Kakashi took on students, he never mentioned ever having any." I said, breaking some chopsticks apart when my meal was sat in front of me. Naruto looked crestfallen before he muttered. "Hey, by any chance have you ever seen his face? After all this time of being around each other he still hasn't moved that idiotic mask, even when we eat." Naruto shook his head and smiled.

"No, he's a pretty personal guy." Was his reply. "Say, what's your name? I tried visiting you in the hospital after Kakashi sensei took you there, but grandma Tsunade wouldn't allow me. Said something about my voice disturbing your peace." He laughed out, scratching the back of his head. I giggle some at his actions and answered him.

"I'm Eri Hisoka." I said softly, reaching my hand out for him to shake. "So Kakashi is the reserved type of person is he? No wonder he doesn't talk about his past with me."

"Yeah, he never hangs out with someone as much as he had been you. After missions he doesn't usually stay around and try to get to know people, that's why I asked if he had a crush on you or something cause he wasn't acting himself." Naruto laughed, slurping the last bit of noodles in his mouth. "Kakashi told me you were his mission. Apparently grandma Tsunade assigned him to watch you or something." Naruto ended, eagerly diving into his new bowl of ramen. I stopped abruptly, the noodles sliding from the chopsticks and into the bowl with a splash. My heart felt like it sunk into the pit of my stomach while my chest started a low hum of pain. The hand holding the chopsticks started to shake so I put them down and placed my hands on my lap.

Even though mine and Kakashi's relationship wasn't romantic, I couldn't help but hope maybe it would steer into that direction after the festival. That maybe he'd come around like he had been these past few days. _'No, he only did that because he was ordered too, not that he wanted to see me.'_ Tears weld up in my eyes before I got some change and sat it down, standing up and leaving, not even telling Naruto bye.

"Miss Eri?" Naruto called out to my retreating form confusedly. I ignored him and continued my trek to the store, all the while wiping the tears away that were crawling down my cheeks slowly. I failed to notice someone chasing after me before a hand landed on my shoulder and I hurriedly jerked out of it, walking through the doors of a nearby grocer. I willed my tears to stop as I got a small carrier crate and watched out of the corner of my eye as Naruto grabbed one too and followed me.

"Did you not know?" He asked in a soft voice. I shook my head before putting some sugar in my crate and continued on, putting the bigger things in Naruto's. Grabbing some cinnamon, I sat it atop of my pile and walked towards the checkout line.

"I thought that maybe Kakashi was actually beginning to take an interest in me.." I commented to Naruto.

"Do—do you like him or something?" He asked hesitantly. I shrugged before answering.

"Kinda, but I think it was over the fact he wanted to spend time with me after our one on one mission together to help me heal. No one usually done that so I thought that maybe he was being truthful about wanting to get to know me. Stupid me for actually believing it." I laughed slightly in sadness. Setting all the items on the checkout counter, I watched as the small lady began ringing them up.

"No, it wasn't stupid. Kakashi sensei is really a nice guy, so who cares if he was told to keep an eye on you. At least he put in an effort of talking to you instead of spying on you like some weirdo."

"Actually," I said annoyed, "I think he was. I don't know how long since I can't use my chakra to detect things yet, but he followed me to the Hokage Mountain the other day to complain about me using too much chakra to cover such a distance." I explained, the grip on my carrier crate tightening. "I was right, he is a creep." I seethed, paying for the items and Naruto following where I was going, helping me carry the bags to my apartment. Nothing else was said about Naruto's sensei. Partly because Naruto knew it wouldn't help the situation any, so he just kept his mouth shut.

Once Naruto helped me put everything away, I looked at his appearance before seeing the worn out look on his face and the few rips in his clothing.

"Geez, what happened to you?" I said, pointing to his clothes.

"Oh, that." He laughed excitedly. "Yomato sensei was helping me with a new jutsu I've been trying to make. He forced me to take a small break before going at it again later."

"Well good luck with it." I replied eagerly, happy he was creating one of his own. "It's always exciting to create one uniquely for yourself." I said while making some tea. "You want some?" I asked.

"No thanks, I was about to head out and practice some more." He said cheekily.

"Have fun," I called out when he made his way to the door, "and come visit sometime, you seem like a great kid." I called out, thinking he can't be much younger than me. His 'okay' was broke off by the slam of the door and I smiled before Kakashi reached my thoughts once again.

* * *

Nearing dusk, I walked out on the apartment porch before heading down to the ground to walk to a nearby store to pick up some icing I forgot to get. On my way there, I spotted Kakashi walking towards me reading that same worn out book he always seem to have. I froze before moving quickly inside a random store, checking if they had some vanilla icing for the cake I planned on making tomorrow. When I finally found it, I took it to the guy up front and handed him the needed amount of cash. Rounding up to the door, I pushed it open and looked to see if Kakashi was around. I crept out and looked around for a double check before relaxing my body and walking back to my apartment. Not even half way there, Kakashi popped out of nowhere and I screamed in response.

"Yo." He said with his hand in a wave. Narrowing my eyes, I ignored him and walked around him. Kakashi straightened up and caught up to me quickly. "What's wrong with you?" He asked.

Growling, I turned around and halfheartedly threw a punch at him. He grabbed my wrist and opened his eye up wider with what I told him. "Naruto told me everything." I snarled out, yanking my arm from his grasp. I turned to walk away but Kakashi took ahold of my arm and pulled me to him.

"It's not like that—" He started.

"Apparently it is! Just, please leave me alone. I'm not doing any harm to the village and I can do fine on my own concerning my chakra." I said, cutting him off. He sighed before he began again.

"Like I said, it's not like that. At all."

"Then why are you doing it?" I asked quietly. He hesitated before he replied.

"I can't say. Just understand that it's for your own protection." He said simply. Again, I yanked my arm out of his grasp, gentler this time.

"Do you even really want to go to the festival with me? As in a date?" I asked softly. Kakashi pulled me closer to him before taking us to my apartment, the cloud of smoke slowly evaporating around us as he slowly back away.

"I don't know. Yeah, but I'm not really one to go on dates. You probably won't enjoy it." He whispered.

"That's just an excuse. I can tell you don't want to go, so just forget it." I said while I took the icing and put it in the refrigerator. "You can leave now." I stated when I returned to the living room, not letting him see the tears gathering at my eyes for the second time that day.

"Do you want to go with me?" He asked.

"Of course I do you idiot. That's why I asked in the first place." I said, looking up at him. I wiped the tears away when he noticed them and he sighed.

"Fine, I'll take you, in a non-watchful way." He said. I shook my head and backed away from him.

"There's no need, especially if you don't want to go with me." I replied then walked towards my bedroom. "Goodnight, Kakashi." I whispered before I shut my bedroom door and fell onto my bed. I heard Kakashi exit my apartment in a slow manner before I shut my eyes and fell asleep.

* * *

It was three days later that I heard a knock on my door while I was eating a piece of cake. I groaned before putting the cake away, leaving my slice on the counter and making my way towards the door. When I opened it, Kakashi stood there in his normal ninja attire with a small red rose in his hand. I blushed when he handed it towards me and mentioned Inoichi's daughter told him to give it to me. I took the rose and Kakashi followed me in when I took it to the kitchen and filled a plastic cup up with water and put it in it. I took my seat and began eating my cake, not facing Kakashi. For the past few days Kakashi hasn't been inside my apartment but I noticed that he was still came around to the roof, using a little chakra to detect his presence. Kakashi took a seat on the couch and I could feel his gaze on me. Finally, he decided to speak.

"Are you going to get ready? The festival starts in a couple hours." I choked on the piece of cake I had inside my mouth and downed it with a glass of milk I set out before Kakashi knocked. I turned to look at him, but his gaze switched over towards the TV, flipping through the channels.

"Are you sure you want to go?" I asked uncertainly. He nodded his head and asked the same question. "Yes, but not if you don't seriously want to go as a date." He stood up and made his way towards me.

He crossed his arms and leaned down so his face was lined up with mine. "Go get ready." He said before straitening up and walking back to the couch. I nodded my head even though he couldn't see it, and went to get ready.


	5. Chapter 5

**I know I said that I would try to post longer chapters, but things are getting hectic since school is about to start again. I'm lucky I've even gotten this wrote out. So with that said, I promise to make the next chapter longer since it might be awhile before I post again. I hope you enjoy.**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any characters.**_

**~findfaith**

* * *

The festival was truly remarkable. So many colors, so many sounds… so many people. I walked close beside of Kakashi, my palms getting sweaty and my heart pounding fiercely. I tried to steer clear from any unwanted connection with strangers, accidentally bumping into my companion a few times. "Sorry, sorry." I mumbled softly when Kakashi would look at me. It was like there was a never ending amount of people piling in, and along with more people, the more my nerves went haywire.

"Relax, nothing's going to happen." Kakashi said indifferently when I once again bumped into him. Ever since we left my apartment this evening, my stomach kept churning with the thought that there was going to be danger. Why wouldn't there be with so many people out at once? I slowed down to walk behind Kakashi, only for him to stop abruptly and I slammed into his back. "What are you doing? Come and walk beside me and quit being difficult. I'll just take you back home." Moaning, I went to his side again and crossed my arms. Pouting slightly, I looked off into the crowd. "Are you sure you don't have anxiety problems?" Kakashi pressed.

"I don't guess I do," I replied back, uncrossing my arms. "Like I said the other day, I just don't like being in crowds. Danger could be around every corner." I got into a defensive crouch and look around warily.

"You're weird." Kakashi announced after watching my display with slight amusement, his uncovered eye looking at me strangely.

"I know." I agreed while letting a smile break across my face. "Let's go play that game, I want that stuffed animal!" I exclaimed when I spotted a giant panda bear. I grabbed Kakashi's hand, my nervousness disappearing only to be consumed by my excitement. While I giddily waited to play, I cheered a little boy on when he threw the ball and hit all the cups down. "Great job!" I congratulated happily when he got his little stuffed dog and started to walk off with his mother, turning around to shoot me a shy smile. Once it was my turn, I walked up to the booth with Kakashi at my side. The man behind the table looked at my partner and scowled.

"No ninja allowed!" He shouted in annoyance, pointing at a small sign to the left that stated what he said was true. My excitement diminished and my face became serious with nervousness again. I nodded my head and started to turn away, only to hear Kakashi start talking.

"How much for that panda, if you don't mind me asking." He questioned, his hand digging into his pocket. The man sighed before saying the amount and took the money that Kakashi handed towards him, and in return gave the silver haired Jounin the humungous panda.

* * *

"How'd you know I wanted it?" I asked quietly with my hands wrapped around the stuffed animal, peaking at Kakashi when we left the big crowed. It was beginning to get dark and it made it difficult to see his clothed face.

"You were eyeing it like a kid would candy." He mused. I blushed when he shifted towards me, and in return I looked down at the ground.

"Thank you." I breathed out, clutching the panda tighter to my body.

We settled in a small café near where the beginning of the festival was taking place. Kakashi sat in front of me staring out the window at the dark sky, and I was ordering a cup of green tea. "And could you make it slightly sweet?" I asked before she turned away. The small woman nodded, a kind expression on her face, and left. I sighed deeply and leaned against the chair fully, relaxing my nerves from all the surrounding people outside.

"It's getting late, wanna leave?" Kakashi asked, shifting to a more comfortable position in his chair. He sat his elbows on the table and placed his face in his hands, staring at me lazily while I shook my head.

"It's only 7; we still have a few hours left. It's getting more fun since people are leaving, and plus I want to watch the fireworks." I replied, accepting the tea the woman brought to me and taking a sip, letting the liquid warm me up. "Oooh," I murmured when chill bumps took over my body. Since it was nearing fall, the evenings have been getting cooler. I wrapped my jacket tighter around me as I took another sip of the warm tea, glancing at Kakashi and noticed he was already staring at me. "W-what?" I stuttered out nervously, unconsciously fiddling my fingers around the cup.

"Are you cold?" He questioned softly. I shook my head and gulped the rest of my tea, sitting it back on the table so I could get some money. "Here, I'm paying." Kakashi declared, sitting the money down before I could lift my hand from my pocket.

"You don't have to do that, Kakashi." I assured pushing his coins towards him and setting mine out. "Besides, you paid for my panda." I reasoned when he sighed.

"We're on a date. It's a man's job to pay for his woman's wants." He said casually, pushing his money back towards me while picking mine up and putting it in his ninja pouch. My face flushed at his words, and I nodded my head quickly. Kakashi sent me a closed eye smile and stood up, picking my panda up while waiting for me when I went to pay the nice waitress.

* * *

We walked towards the small crowd of people, Kakashi leading me towards a food booth and bought a funnel cake. He handed it to me, pulling me close when I grabbed it and made quick hand signs. We ended up at the Hokage Mountain; he walked towards the Fourths head and sat down, pulling me with him. I blushed at our close proximity then looked at the beautiful sight below. Since night fell upon the village, I hadn't been able to appreciate the wonderful colors the lamps surrounding the festival were making.

"It's so pretty." I said in awe. Kakashi took the funnel cake from my grasp and opened up the case it sat in. Tearing a piece off, he handed it to me gently. I took it and shoved it in my mouth, chewing sloppily while admiring below us. Kakashi laughed slightly at my actions before turning away from me and taking his mask down, eating a piece of the cake also. "Why do you turn away? Do you think your ugly or something?" I questioned, tearing another piece off and popping it into my mouth, this time savoring the sweet taste it emitted on my taste buds. I chewed it carefully while waiting for Kakashi to turn back around.

"It's always good to conceal your identity." He replied nonchalantly.

"But it's only the two of us? What am I gonna do and besides, people can tell it's you from your hair and your eye." I said while sucking my fingers clean.

"I just don't feel like showing my face." He said softly, taking another piece off the cake and turned his face away from me.

"Well, could you show me?" I asked hopefully. He shook his head and closed the top back onto the dessert. "Oh well. It's dark out anyways." I whispered to myself. I leaned on my back and looked at the bright, shining stars. Lifting my hand I pointed out a constellation. "And there's the big dipper, too." I spoke up after awhile. Kakashi leaned on his back also and looked for some constellations with me.

A loud boom erupted through the air around us and I sat up, my ninja skills taking over when I reached for a kunai then realized I didn't have my pouch with me. Kakashi grabbed my arm to calm me down when crackling and sizzling sounded in the sky. I looked up in time to see another firework being sent up and watched the colors explode. I layed back down and relaxed my tense body, putting my arms behind me to give my head more support.

"That scared me." I said after a few more fireworks were let loose. "I wasn't expecting them to be set off so soon into the night."

"You don't need to be scared; I'm here to protect you." Was all Kakashi said before he turned his attention to the sight above.

* * *

Standing at my doorstep, Kakashi handed me my panda and the coins he took at the café. "Thanks." I said, accepting the objects he gave me. "Do you want to come inside?" I asked him hesitantly.

"No, I better be heading home, "He said, declining my offer. "Also, Lady Tsunade wants to see us in the morning."

"Okay." I replied quietly. Kakashi nodded his head before moving his hands to make signs. "Wait!" I exclaimed. The Jounin jumped and froze his movements, looking at me with surprise. I walked to him slowly after I sat the panda and money by my door. I pulled Kakashi into my grasp and wrapped my arms around his torso, laying my head against his chest. "Thank you for today, Kakashi. I really enjoyed it." I admitted, my words being muffled against his chest. He became rigid with my honesty and ever so slowly, Kakashi wrapped his arms around my shoulders in a loose hug.

"It's no problem. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself." He replied, pulling away from me. He gave me a closed eye smile before poofing away, leaving behind a cloud of evaporating smoke.

"I believe that your chakra is ready to be used normally and your leg muscles look to be in top condition. Your stomach healed very nicely.. you're ready to be doing missions now." Lady Tsunade concluded, checking me over in her office. I pulled my shirt back over my stomach and looked at Kakashi happily. "I have something I need you and Kakashi to check into."

"Me and Kakashi?" I said confused. The Hokage walked back behind her desk and took a seat.

"Yes. I know it's odd where you're in the Anbu and Kakashi is a Jounin, but I don't want to send you on a mission and you hurt yourself again. I'll be giving you two a fairly easy one; you'll just be collecting information at a small village near the Mist. I've given Kakashi the details of the mission. Eri, you're dismissed, go collect your things and meet Kakashi at the front gates in 30 minutes." I nodded my head and poofed myself to my apartment.

xXoXxoxXoXxox

Kakashi Hatake stood in front of the 5th Hokage, listening to the new information she's inquired over the past few weeks.

"Whatever is inside of her chest, it can detect when that sacred jewel I spoke of is near. Kichirou has obtained the jewel and plans on drawing Eri to him." Lady Tsunade said with a deep sigh, pouring some sake into a cup and taking a sip.

"If he's got the jewel, then why are you sending Eri with me? She could get killed." Kakashi's voice became hard. He clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white and then he forced himself to relax. There was no need for him to get upset at his Hokage.

"I know you think it's a suicide mission for her, but I'm sending three squads of Anbu with you two days from now. They'll stay hidden until their presence will be needed. Be careful, all this is, is for her to draw him out. The Anbu will then come and capture him. You are dismissed Kakashi, go get your things needed."

Kakashi arrived at his apartment in no time, taking a seat on his bed and looking at the picture of his old sensei and teammates. He grabbed the frame and brought it close to his face, the faces on the paper seemingly staring back at him. '_I'll never let another comrade die, and I'll never let someone I care for be put in harm's way.' _How could Lady Tsunade let her be bait to this, awful, wretched man?_ 'But I guess I understand. There's enough protection, and I won't let him get close to her again.'_

xXoXxoxXoXxox

'_Right on time.'_ I thought when I seen Kakashi arrive at the gates. "Alright, Hatake, let's get a move on! My body is itching to begin." I quickly took off, Kakashi right behind me sighing. I giggled in excitement and looked back at the Jounin, sending him a small smile before leaping up into a tree.


	6. Chapter 6

**I made this chapter longer as promised :p I'm not going to beg, but I'd appreciate it if I received more reviews. I see all these people viewing it, but I'm not getting feedback. I'd like to know every once in a while how I'm doing and if anyone is actually even enjoying this, it doesn't mean flame me though, that'll make me sad and plus it's rude. D: But I do want to thank **AngelGirl1048** for the first review, I forgot to mention it in the last chapter; so thanks (: And I want to thank the people that has followed & favored it, you make me want to write more to this little thing I've got going on here. Anywaysss, please enjoy and let me know what you think.  
**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or any of the Naruto characters, my only possession is Eri and her family.**_

**~findfaith**

* * *

It was nearing twilight when we decided to stop for the night. We were already almost to the small village near the Mist and haven't had fatalities by any nearby ninja. So far so good in my opinion. "Alright, Kakashi, I'll go get some firewood." I sat my pack down beside of Kakashi and ventured deeper into the surrounding woods. It got quieter the further away I got from the little campsite, the occasional scurrying sound of a small animal making its way to shelter made itself present in the harsh night air. I gathered any sticks that happened to be in my way and soon had an armful.

Kakashi came into my line of sight as I got closer to the spot we were resting. I discarded some of the sticks in the circle of rocks he created and placed the rest near the both of us. I took a seat on the cold ground and dug around for a box of matches I brought in my pack, striking the box once I found it and proceeded to start a small flame on the pile of sticks. My breath came out in a puff of smoke when I let a small laugh escape my lips at the sight of the fire building up. "Thank goodness," I mumbled out, "I thought I was gonna freeze." Kakashi dug around in his own pack then threw a small, fuzzy blanket at me. "Thanks." He nodded his head and pulled out his own, wrapping it around his body.

We sat staring at the blazing fire, my gaze frequently making its way to my companions' face that was lit up from the orange and red flames. _'He hasn't talked to me since I left the Hokages' office. I wonder if I did something wrong?'_ I stared at his mask hidden face, trying to decipher what the problem was before I started taking in the features of his jawline and wondering what his smile looked like. Kakashi lifted his visible eye to me and I quickly looked back at the fire, embarrassed I had been caught ogling him. I picked at my fingers subconsciously, waiting for him to say something but alas, his gaze left my body and shifted up towards the night sky.

I was first to keep watch, propping my back up against a nearby tree while I took a long stick and prodded the embers of the slowly dying fire. The only sound was the sporadic hooting of an owl somewhere deep in the woods and the soft snores Kakashi released. I sat up from my relaxed position to put a stick into the source of our warmth, leaning back and wrapping the blanket closer to my body. My head lolled to the side as I stared at the sleeping man; he was using his almost empty pack as a pillow and had his blanket bunched up at his face, laying in a fetal position so to keep the rest of his body out of the crisp air. The bright moon, along with the small fire, illuminated his face, and even with the material mask on I could tell his features were completely slack of any kind of stress or emotion. I smiled at his resting figure and turned my attention where it needed to be at the most.

After I woke Kakashi up, I immediately fell asleep. It felt like I just closed my eyes when he woke me up a few hours later, the chilly morning breeze rolling past my face as I quickly helped gather our things. It wasn't until we had an hour left of running did I stop my fellow comrade and asked about the mission. I crouched on the branch I was on and read over the mission details, Kakashi leaning his shoulder up against the rough surface of the same tall tree.

"Okay, it says this Hitori guy travels fast, when we get to the village we can split up and gather information faster." I said as I rolled the scroll up and handed it back to Kakashi.

"No," he refused, "We're not splitting up. It'll be safer to stick together." I pouted slightly and nodded, getting my mask off the loop of my pack and hooked it around my face. "Why didn't you put that on when we left?" Kakashi questioned.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I didn't think I needed to put it on since we weren't going far."

"That's the stupidest answer I've ever heard. When you're an Anbu, you always wear your mask, no matter how far away the mission is. I suspected you knew that." Kakashi's angry response was my last straw with him.

"What's it matter to you? You don't have the right to scold me like a child over such a situation when you haven't spoken a word to me the whole time we've been travelling together. What's your problem with me anyhow? Did I make you mad or something?" My icy tone softened when I looked at Kakashi's face. The hurt I felt laced along with my words and regret shown slightly in his eye.

"No, it's nothing. I'm not mad at you, just take it off, there's no use for it now." He concluded before taking off in the direction we were heading. I ripped the mask off my face and stuffed it into my pack before angrily running after him.

It was a fairly long hour getting to the village, Kakashi kept ahead of me, looking back every once in a while to either keep an eye on me or check for any danger. Most likely the latter. I sighed in annoyance once we reached the entrance to the village and leaped next to my companion. He had his hands in his pockets and walked past me and the gate to get into the village. I wiped the sweat off my brow and glared at the insufferable man.

"We'll first go to a hotel, and then after we get some food we can look around." Kakashi said once I caught up to him, he then veered off to the left and lead me to a nice, small hotel and walked in.

Once we got the key to our room, I sluggishly stood behind Kakashi as he unlocked the door and let me inside first. I reached the end of my bed and plowed face first on the comfy material while he went to his bed also and sat his pack down, looking at me. "What?" I snapped after a few seconds. The Jounin sighed before plopping down on the bed and shrugged. I rolled my eyes and stood back up, taking off my pack. "C'mon, let's get some food." Then walked out the door, waiting for Kakashi to follow.

We arrived at a decent ramen shop, though not as good as the one in the Leaf Village, and ate. I lazily handed over my half of the pay while Kakashi headed out and then made my way to follow him. I looked around at the small village; there were hardly any people around, probably because I was so use to the Leaf. My cheeks puffed out as I walked alongside of my jerk of a partner, crossing my arms as he didn't even steal a glance at me.

"Okay, dude. What's your problem? We were fine and dandy at home, why are you acting like this?" I curiously asked, shoving my hands deep into my pockets. I looked over at Kakashi and waited for him to answer. When he didn't, I growled in annoyance. "You're such a.. a… a peasant!" I shouted out. Kakashi looked at me strangely before slowly showing me a closed eye smile and laughed.

"Peasant? That the best you could come up with?" My face went red and I jerked away from him.

"Whatever." I mumbled out.

"I'm not mad at you. I'm just… a little cautious. That's all." He finally said after a while of silence, besides the occasional talking to strangers about this so called Hitori. My brows furrowed in confusion.

"Cautious about what?" I questioned. Kakashi shrugged when we walked away from a man who said he had never seen Hitori around.

"I can't tell." He replied simply, and in a way to drop the subject.

"So you feel the need to ignore me then?" I spat out. Again, He shrugged and continued on.

* * *

"No, sorry. I've been here my whole life and never seen this guy before. He's probably not from this village." A random old man said, his long, gray mustache slightly slurring his words while he handed back a picture of the man we were searching for.

"Alright," I replied back, grabbing the paper." Thank you." I grabbed ahold of Kakashi's arm and poofed us back to the hotel, then proceeded to shove him on his bed. "What's going on? We've asked a lot of people about this guy and they've never even seen him here, in his so called 'home'. It's obvious we're either in the wrong village or he's fake. So which is it? And I want a clear answer, Kakashi, plus the reason why you're acting this way towards me, I can tell something is going on and you're not telling me." I demanded out, grabbing the stool by the door and sitting across from the man I attempted to interrogate. Kakashi sighed and ran his hand over his face.

"Fine, I guess I'll tell you. It involves your life so I feel the need to spill it; just for your own safety. Someone is after you, and Lady Tsunade is using a...certain skill of yours to draw him out so the Anbu can capture him. I'm acting this way, well, because it's hard to feel positive about something like this, and I'm afraid you're going to end up dying. Why not distance myself a little in case it happens?" He said softely. I held a look of horror on my face, and I shot up.

"Why didn't you tell me this, Kakashi!" I cried out. "I trust you and you can't even tell me something this important? My life is on the line here!" I shouted at him, tears rolling down my face.

"I was ordered not to tell you." He replied carefully, barely dodging the weak punch I sent him.

"Order this, order that, it's like it's the only thing you know how to do! Have the sense to tell someone something so important. I can't believe you… It's like you ripped my trust out of my soul. I trusted you and you couldn't even tell me I could possibly die on this mission!" Big crocodile tears took over my face. My cheeks were red and my voice choked on the words I was telling him. Kakashi's expression was hard to read, his stupid mask mostly covering it up. He grabbed my arms and forcefully pulled me to him, smashing me against his hard frame. I struggled to get away but it was like all my strength was sapped away with the emotion emitting from the hug he was giving me. "Let go of me!" I wailed, shoving him off me with all my strength. He smashed into the wall, spider web-like cracks forming from the impact. He slowly arose again and stared at me.

"I'm sorry, Eri. There's a small threat of you actually being killed, so you don't have to worry, okay?" Kakashi tried to sooth me. I glared at him as he leisurely walked to me. "Please, I know it's hard news to take in, but I'm just trying to protect you."

"Who is it?" I seethed out, my icy stare stopping Kakashi in his tracks. "Tell me who it is, I have the right to know!" My voice escalated while I stood ridged in fear.

"Why, it's me, dear." A cold, sinister voice spoke. Kakashi tensed and jumped over towards me, shoving me behind him while grabbing a kunai from his pouch and getting in a protective stance. I looked over his shoulder when I heard deep, dark cackling. It was him, the man that attacked me almost two months ago. I gasped as I started to reach for a kunai also, hurriedly getting into a stance, too. "I knew you had it, the jewel led me straight to you. And it's quite powerful; I can't wait to get it released from your body." He whispered eerily. I grabbed Kakashi's arm when we suddenly poofed out of the small room, entering into a big, flowery meadow a couple of miles from the village we were in.

"W—why is he here? Is that the man that's after me?!" I yelled out, my heart hammering in my chest.

"Yes, his name is Kichirou Hisoka. He wasn't supposed to find us this fast" Kakashi replied.

"Hisoka? I don't understand, I don't have any outside family members." I tried to reason, my fear rolling through my body. Kakashi sighed before quickly explaining everything he knew.

"But my dad… He never mentioned any of this to me? How do I know you're not lying to me?" I questioned, suspicious of the man in front of me.

"Believe me, or don't, but your dad didn't want you to know yet. I'm breaking orders just to inform you of this information." Kakashi looked at me angrily before seeing my fresh set of tears and softened his glare. "I'm sorry nothing was told to you sooner, it was just for protection. Anbu squads were supposed to be sent out tomorrow, but apparently he traced your presence faster than we thought he could." He poked his finger with his kunai and made hand signs for a summoning jutsu. A small, pug type dog appeareaed and looked at his master.

"What's up, Kakashi?" The dog said, walking closer to said man. He wrote a quick note and attached it to the small dog.

"Pakkun, get this to the Hokage immediately, go as fast as you can." Kakashi rushed out.

"Right." Pakkun replied, taking off into the woods and making his way to the Leaf. Me and the Jounin looked at each other for a second before a figure appeared out of thin air and slashed a knife at me. My instincts got me out of the way fast enough before it was in front of me again repeating its actions. I jumped into the air and made quick hand signs, blasting water out of my mouth to the man from the hotel. He disappeared and reappeared, staring deeply into my eyes. I kicked my foot out but missed with his fast moving. I landed on the ground and paid attention to my surroundings, hearing the slight swooshing sound of a blade coming down behind me before rolling away. I jumped back up and went to Kakashi's side.

Dogs surrounded us and growled at Kichirou, who in returned smirk. "Ahh, the famed Copy Ninja, Kakashi Hatake, I thought you'd have more power instead of summoning a bunch of mutts." I looked at Kakashi as he lifted his headband, a scar showing up at first before a red eye made itself known. The Sharingan? How did Kakashi get that?! My bewildered expression went serious when he quickly sent a glare at me, telling me to pay attention. I nodded my head and turned back to the man in black. A bright light blinded the corner of my eye, and a loud chirping sound resonated with it. _'It sounds like that noise I heard that one time, this must be the jutsu he used.'_

I watched as Kakashi took off at an extremely fast pace, showing up in front of the man before he disappeared, leaving Kakashi to stick his hand through a tree. Kichirou reappeared in front of me, quickly grabbing my neck and lifting me up. I gasped for breath as the dogs around me started to bite and pull the man off of me. My sight went to Kakashi when he rounded up to the distracted man and punched him before grabbing me and jumping a few feet away. I took in a deep gust of air and panted, landing on my feet when my savior sat me down.

"Great fireball justu!" He yelled when he made hand signs, breathing out an inferno towards my uncle. Like he's been doing, he disappeared but this time didn't show up again. I relaxed slightly after a few minutes and Kakashi did the same, then, a bunch of Anbu swarmed around us and asked what was going on.

"He disappeared and this time didn't come back." I told them, watching as Kakashi allowed his summonings to poof away. An Anbu walked up towards me and put their hand on my shoulder.

"We'll get this guy, don't worry." A deep voice spoke before backing away. I nodded my head towards the speaker before sitting on the weedy ground, my rush of adrenaline vanishing. My hands started shaking and I started thinking of everything Kakashi told me.

'_I can't believe dad didn't tell me any of this. Now I know why mom didn't want me to be a ninja… she wanted to hide me from this man.'_ I gripped my chest and felt around. _'Nothing feels out of place, how could he find me if I don't feel anything inside of me?' _I carefully stood back up and walked over to Kakashi when he started to cover his eye again. "When we get back to the Village, you are going to tell me how you got that Sharingan." I said with my eyes narrowed as I walked past him.

* * *

We arrived at the hotel and went to our rooms, immediately, I went to the shower and took one, then made my way to my comfy bed. I snuggled into the pillow and waited for Kakashi to lie down before I started my questioning.

"Tell me about you, Kakashi. I deserve to know since you seem to know more about me than my own self." _'I can't believe I'm in a clan, dad is so gonna hear it from me when we return'_ I thought sourly before Kakashi spoke.

"I guess it's only fair," He sighed out. "I'll tell you about my eye. The first day I became a Jounin, I went out on a misson with my sensei, the Fourth Hokage, and teammates, Obito Uchiha and Rin Nohara." He started telling me the story of how in the Third Shinobi World War, his sensei had him lead the mission, and in the process his teammate, Rin, got kidnapped by Stone ninja. "I told Obito that we should do the mission first and then get Rin after our duties were finished, but he lashed out at me, telling me that it wrong to leave your teammate behind, that you were scum when you did." Kakashi paused and I sat up, transfixed at the part of his past he was willing to share with me. I looked at him sadly when regret shown in his eye. "He left and I let him go alone before I took off after him, saving him from getting stabbed by a kunai and in the process lost my eye." Kakashi gently touched his covered eye and sat up.

"Obito still hadn't activated his Sharigan, and me only having one eye made it harder for me to detect him. Then, he stabbed the man out of nowhere. I couldn't understand how he done it since the guy was invisible, but when he turned around, his Sharigan was activated. We went after Rin then, snapping her out of a genjutsu when we fought off the man in the cave with her. The guy tried to kill us by making the cave collapse.. We barely made it out. A rock hit me on the head on the side I couldn't see, and fell down. Obito went after me and shoved me out of the way before a boulder smashed the right side of his body."

I stared at Kakashi with a tear forming in my eye and my hands cupped over my mouth. I got up from my bed and walked over to his, climbing in beside of him and hugging him tightly. He put his arms around me and pulled me closer, burring his face in my hair.

"He was still alive, and when Rin and me got to his side, he told her to transplant his Sharingan into my ruined eye since he didn't get me anything for becoming a Jounin. We had to leave, the cave was falling in more, and he wanted me to take Rin to safety. When we got up above all the rocks and boulders, a bunch of ninja were waiting for us. I used my new Sharingan and tried to attack as many as possible, and then finally Minato sensei finally showed up and helped. The rest is history." He ended softly. I looked into his eye and pulled his headband back up, gently running my finger over the scar. I kissed the eye and covered it back up before snuggling into Kakashi some more.

"I could never know how you feel. Do you… Do you blame yourself?" I asked against his black ninja shirt. When he didn't answer, tears poured out of my eyes as I sobbed against him. It broke my heart in two that he was carrying such a burden and thinking he was at fault. I gripped his arms and tried to stop my tears, knowing that it wasn't helping him. "It wasn't your fault, Kakashi, please don't blame yourself. It was an accident, it couldn't be helped." My voice rasped out. I turned my head and looked back at him, staring him deeply into his lone eye.

"I was afraid that you would be killed by him. I'm sorry for how I was acting. I just don't know if I could deal with losing someone so important again." He whispered. I smiled a sad smile before taking his head in my hands.

"It's okay, I understand." I said. _'There's no need to be upset and angry at him, especially since this has happened to him.'_ But then my thoughts went to the Rin girl he was speaking of. 'Where's Rin at? Is she still a ninja?"

"No." Came his reply before we went into a deep silence. Kakashi pulled me on top of him and sighed, taking a strand of my hair and playing with it.

"Kakashi," I mumbled against him, "I really like you, being with you makes me happy." I openly admitted. "I guess I understand if you don't feel the same."

Kakashi laughed slightly before kissing me on top of my head through his mask. "I like you, too. I just have a hard time being honest with myself. I'm not used to these types of things; I've always been to myself." He informed.

"Yeah, you're really reserved." I pointed out, lifting my head and looking into his eye. I took my fingers and hooked it to the top of his mask. "Like with this thing, what is it even for?" I questioned, laughing lightly. He took my hand and dragged it down, the mask going with it. My curiosity got the best of me and I yanked it off quickly, blushing at the sight of his handsome face. "W—why do you cover up your face? You're so gorgeous! I was right!" I cheered myself on until he lifted his lips in a smile, watching as his cheek pulled up and he closed his eye. I giggled, embarrassed that I was openly taking in all of his glorious looks and kissed his still raised cheek. His smile dropped fast, and I was afraid I made the wrong move until he smashed his lips against mine. My face heated up, but I soon found myself slowly melting and kissing him back. We parted almost as soon as we connected, and stared in each other's eyes for the longest time.

I laughed out loud, slinging my head back and holding my stomach. Kakashi laughed too but not as much as me before slowly lifting up his mask and sliding me off of him. I stared at him questionably before he stood up and put on his Jounin vest. "How about we go out for dinner tonight." He decided, pulling me off the bed so I could change my clothes. I smiled at his suggestion before going back to the bathroom.

Our little date was pretty great. We went to a semi fancy restaurant before we went on top of the hotel and stared at the moon and stars. "Shouldn't we be cautious of my uncle popping up?" I asked suddenly.

"Don't worry about it, all those Anbu are out there, protecting us if need be." I knew the Anbu were there, they kept a safe distance away into the surrounding trees around the village.

* * *

He was back and we were all out in that field again, trying to capture the man that was after me. He almost got me a few times before a random Anbu protected me. I felt so useless, like I didn't have the right to be called an Anbu since I couldn't keep up with my uncle. I let out a breath of frustration before I, like the first time we fought months ago, threw myself at him. He wasn't expecting it as his movements froze a little in shock; it was enough to land a hit onto him. I twisted my body around fast and slammed the tip of my boots into his face, hearing a few bones crack as he flew back and grounded down into the soil. I landed on my feet and quickly ran up to him with a few other Anbu, them circling him and making hand signs, putting a seal on him to prevent him using any chakra.

It was a long journey back to the Leaf, Kichirou struggling immensely to break free. Finally, Kakashi got tired of it and knocked the man out. We arrived at the gates and my body relaxed with a sense of comfort. The Anbu took him to the Interrogation Force as Kakashi and I went to the Hokage.

Kakashi knocked on the door and waited patiently, I resisted from barging in without permission as I usually done, but the sounds coming from the room made me stop and cringe. Yelling could be heard before a faint 'okay' was said and Shizune opened the door to let the person out. The guy left in a hurry and I looked at Shizune with a smile, petting Tonton before walking in with Kakashi.

Lady Tsunade looked at me before talking to Kakashi. "I assume the mission went as planned after I let the Anbu leave early?" She asked. I glared when he confirmed and seen the small smile form on her lips.

I interrupted before anything else was said, "And just when was you gonna tell me I was a part of a clan, and had something dangerous inside of me that people want?" Lady Tsunade sighed before she answered.

"Your father didn't want me to mention anything. He was going to tell you soon since you're at the age where you can use the gift inside your chest in battle." I nodded my head.

"Well, I'm going home then to talk to my family. If you don't mind, Kakashi, I'll leave you here to report about the mission." I poofed out of the Hokage Tower and walked to my parents' house, ready to get answers for all my questions.


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry it's so short, had a very complicated week. Please review.**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or any characters of Naruto.**_

**~findfaith**

* * *

- A day later –

Trees passed me in a blur as I heard the faint thumps when Neji and Naruto landed on a branch behind my moving body. A small number of Anbu followed at a close distance, too. We were heading to the Land of Rock in hope of finding my clan and finding out more about this power inside of my chest. After talking with my father I demanded Lady Hokage to let me leave so I could understand more about what I'm capable of. I sighed in annoyance when I noticed a chakra flare off to the distance. Neji seemed to notice, too, as he began to talk with his Byakugan activated. "They're off to the right; their chakra signature isn't too strong, so they're probably genin." We slowed down and crouched behind the trees we landed on when we got close enough to the strangers. A carriage with a tarp covering supplies was being pulled by a mule and three young looking kids were guarding a small man sitting and steering the animal. Debating on whether to ignore them and leave, or just wait for them to notice us, I frowned in disappointment when Naruto made the decision. He jumped down and greeted the people with a big smile. The three kids immediately got into formation around the man and pulled out kunai for protection. Neji sighed and muttered softly, jumping down to stand beside Naruto. I stayed crouched down and watched the scene unfold when the tallest of the kids started to speak.

"Who are you?" He asked in a high and mighty voice. '_Way too much arrogance.' _I blew out my cheeks and waited with a dull expression as Naruto introduced himself and Neji before asking where they were heading too. "We're escorting this man to the Hidden Leaf."

"That's where we're from!" Naruto shouted with a smile. The tall boy relaxed his stance when he noticed neither of my companions was dangerous.

"Let's go, boys!" I shouted out after their exchange. I caught the glance of a nearby Anbu and they nodded slightly. I stood up and slightly revealed myself. The kid on the right turned to me and blushed heavily. I arched my brow and hopped down. "C'mon.." I grabbed Naruto's sleeve and dragged him to the woods, him saying a quick 'good luck, and goodbye' with Neji following close behind.

Once we were back on track from that useless encounter, we came upon a small, poor village. We got into a shabby looking motel and paid heftily for two rooms. I grumbled while walking through the creaking hallway with Naruto and Neji, looking sadly down at my half empty wallet. I shoved it back in my ninja pouch and lined the key up with the rusty lock, opening the door slowly when it started to squeak. The boys did the same before making eye contact with me and walking in their own room. I hesitantly turned on the light and looked at the disgusting room. I made my way to the bed and gave the sheets a cautious smell, shrugging my shoulders at the decent scent and then throwing my pack down and crawling into the poorly cushioned bed. I rested my arm across my face as I thought about the day before with my father. I let out a deep breath and turned over to my side, falling asleep instantly.

* * *

_~ the day before_

"_The Hisoka Clan is one of the few clans that have a unique kekkei genkai. They're able to transport a short, or in some cases long, distance with just a simple thought. Not many know of us, for so few have actually been able to do this and be successful." My father began while seated with my mother. My stiff and irritated form sat on the comfortable couch facing them._

"_What about this… thing in my chest. Kakashi mentioned something of it, and so did that man Kichirou when we first met up with him." My tense shoulders relaxed some and my voice held a sense of curiousness in it. I leaned forward and rested my elbows on my knees, waiting for him to answer._

"_Honestly, I'm not too sure about what's in your chest. All I know is that it holds a great power and every so long, a woman is born into the clan with it. As you can tell, your hair and eyes are significantly different from my own and your mothers'. That gives off a sign that you have it, also because you use a water element. All Hisoka use fire and earth elements', it's very rare for any one in the clan to actually use the water element and get a decent jutsu from it." Father ran his hand through his blonde hair and sighed. "I wasn't really all that ready to tell you about this. I was hoping to wait a few more months." He admitted softly. _

"_But," I started confused, "I thought that anyone could use any element that they are born with? Even if a Hisoka is born with the water element, outside of having the chest power, they can't perform any jutsu? I don't understand how that works." Mother stood up quietly to let me and my father talk alone and ventured into the kitchen. "I wish you would've told me sooner so I could've had an awareness of Kichirou." I looked at father and sat back, intrigued with what he was telling me. He nodded and began to think how to explain everything._

"_Even though it's true for a shinobi to be able to use and succeed with the element they are born with, water is only for the important ones of the Hisoka clan. When I left, I didn't know much about the clan besides what I witnessed in my short years living there. It's a cruel Clan and how they treat the people within it." I glared at the ceiling in thought. "I don't want you going to the clan, Eri. It's dangerous, and you could possibly be hunted down if anyone finds out about the power you possess." _

_I sat up quickly with a growl. "I'm going, it's my choice. If you would've told me sooner about any of this I would've been more on guard with my wellbeing. If Kichirou told any one of my power then I will get killed, I think it would be best to go to the elders of our clan and ask them for help." My father shook his head with a scowl. _

"_You're not going to the clan. They're dangerous, for all I know they could bring you in and strip that power from you and kill you. They're ruthless, Eri, and I'm telling you as your father that you're not leaving." His voice was dark and held a strong sense of authority. My eyes widened before I quickly stood up and towered over my father's form._

"_If I don't at least try to get myself help from the very place that knows best, I will get killed by people like Kichirou. Why is the clan so dangerous?" My father shifted his gaze from the floor to my face. His features softened before turning into a heated glare. _

"_They kill for the simplest reasons. Any kind of birth defects, rebellious attitude towards the clan elders, if you're not strong enough of a ninja.. I have watched them murder the entire lower branch of our clan just because of a small disagreement. They are not to be trusted; it's not safe for you to go. Any of us could be hunted down and killed; I left without telling anyone, taking your mother with me." I backed up till the back of my legs hit the couch. I plopped down and put my head in my heads and shuddered. _'Why kill like a life doesn't matter?_' I straightened up and stared deeply into my father's eyes. Mixed emotions ran across his face before settling on_ _sadness, he already knew what I was going to do._

"_I know and understand what you're saying; it's really horrid that anyone can do that to a life like it's nothing, but you need to understand that I have to take this chance. Who knows, maybe while I'm there I can change how the system works." I smiled sadly and went to the door. "Is there anything else that I need to know?" I asked. Silence met my question before a creak could be heard from the springs of one of the couches. My father pulled me into a hug, resting his head on top of mine._

"_Be careful, little one." My eyes glazed over as I nodded and left the house._

'Time to go pack and set up a squad.' _I thought while running to my apartment._

* * *

Heavy knocking woke me from my slumber. "C'mon, Eri! It's getting late and we're almost there!" Naruto's impatient voice echoed in the still room. I grunted before slowly rising from the bed, twisting my upper body to pop my aching spine.

"Alright, give me five." I mumbled out going to the bathroom. I did my business and quickly changed my clothes, throwing my hair into a messy pony tail while walking out the door. "Let's head out." I said. Both Neji and Naruto nodded and followed my lead.


	8. Chapter 8

**Please review. :) Hope you enjoy. Also, it's harder for me to write the really long chapters I planned on doing, so I'm just going to write the rest of this story this length. it's easier for me, and plus the story might be lasting longer than I thought. I'd really appreciate it if you guys would review. I feel like giving up on this cause getting no reviews makes it seem like no one is enjoying it. Just let me know what you think and what I need to improve on. **

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**_

**~findfaith**

* * *

The sun was beginning to set when we finally reached the small village in which my clan resided in. I stopped at the gates and proceeded in when the guards at post allowed me through. I let out an exasperated breath when Naruto and Neji walked up to me. "Finally." I sang out. "Now, time to find where my clan is settled." Naruto groaned out in exhaustion.

"Can't we search tomorrow? We've been at it all day with no breaks." He whined. I turned around to face him and seen the sweat that ran gently down his frowning face with his eyes holding a pleading glint. My gaze swept over towards Neji and seen the slight exhaustion stitched onto his features. I scrunched up my nose before nodding my head.

"Fine, but as soon as we get up we're getting some information."

It wasn't until around 9:30 AM when we finally left a small motel and looked around at the surrounding buildings. "Alright," I began, "I'll look around the west side of the village, Naruto, you look around the south, and Neji you the east. If you get any information out of anybody, or you actually find where the clan resides, send out a shadow clone. If not, we meet up back here in 30 minutes."

"Okay!" Naruto shouted before running off. I quirked a brow and shook my head. Neji left in a more civil matter, quietly saying 'alright' before leaving. I walked off in their opposite directions and started asking around.

"Excuse me," I asked a little old lady. She slowly lifted her head and sent me a small smile. "Have you ever heard of the Hisoka Clan?" Her eyes widened and her body froze before she shook her head and carried on. I followed her moving form with confusion written on my face. Shrugging my shoulders, I began walking again to the next person I found.

"Sir?" A man in his late 30's looked up from the paper he was reading. He folded it and sat up straighter on the bench.

"Yes, miss?" His deep voice vibrated my form. I smiled shyly at him before tenderly taking a seat on the open spot.

"Have you ever heard of the Hisoka clan?" His relaxed posture stiffened before he started to get up. "Wait!" I grabbed his arm and kept him from leaving. "Please tell me if you know them, I am in search and have been looking around."

"That's a wrong bunch for you to get around, little girl. It'd be best to go on home and forget about them." The man softly shook his arm from my grasp and left. I slouched on the concrete bench and sighed.

"The Hisoka clan is very dangerous, it's best you not get involved." Said a small voice to my right. I looked at the little boy as he came closer to me.

"Well I kind of need to get involved, can you tell me where they are living?" The small boy hopped up beside of me and tangled his hands together.

"My mommy mentioned that they lived a few miles from this village." He said. I nodded me head and started to get up.

"Thank you, that helped me a lot." I sent a smile at the kid and he sent me one back.

"Be careful!" He shouted at my retreating form.

"I found out where they're at." Neji said when we all met back up. "The leader of this village feared them and made them move off the land, they live about three miles east of here." I nodded my head and leaned it against the wall of the room I was staying in.

"Was anything else said about them? Apparently something bad has happened since all the older folks seem to stray away at the mention of them."

"Yes, I've noticed that as well. No one has mentioned anything to me, and neither did the leader. Naruto, did you find out anything?" Neji questioned. I lolled my head to look at Naruto. His eyes held a distant look before a deep frown settled on his face.

"No, but everyone seemed really scared of them. Eri, we have to figure out what's going on!" His voice held a strong amount of determination. His fist clenched and his body tensed.

"I know, Naruto, just calm down. We have to find them before anything can be done. We leave in five, get your stuff and head outside." The boys got up and left the room, the soft click of the door shutting echoed faintly. I got off the bed and grabbed my pack, slinging it onto my back before putting my boots on and leaving.

'_I really hope everything goes well.'_

* * *

As planned, Naruto and Neji stood outside waiting for me. As soon as I stepped outside, an Anbu member made themselves known.

"Wait a second! Why is there Anbu here?" Naruto questioned when we went to a deserted alleyway and met up with four more members. I sighed before answering his question.

"They're here for back up." The Anbu squad leader walked up to me and started to talk.

"We found the location at which the clan is staying. They put up a powerful genjutsu but we managed to take it down ahead of time. If you'd like, we'll lead you to the place." The Anbu member stepped back when I nodded my head.

"Alright. Naruto, Neji, let's head out." The Anbu raised up his finger and the other members scattered. When we started to leave the village, I noticed the direction we were heading in. "We're going west, why is that? I've gotten information that the clan resided up east."

"That information is wrong." The Anbu's answer was short and hard. I nodded my head and started to watch out for my steps on the tree branches. After a while of running, we finally ended up at a small clearing. "They are about ten minutes away now, it's best that you two hold back some of your chakra so we don't seem as threatening." The member looked at Naruto and Neji when he said this. Naruto pouted before complying. "Great job at concealing yours." He said, turning to me. I glared at the rabbit masked Anbu before crossing my arms.

"Well, I hope it was good since I am a member also." I muttered out. The Anbu signaled for us to head out and we did so, and soon we approached where the clan lived.

"Isn't it kind of weird we can walk in the clans home like it's nothing?" Naruto said to me. I nodded my head slightly and kept a look out.

"Rabbit," I motioned to the Anbu, "You and the others head out, and if things get too bad you can come back. Going any farther with you guys will seem skeptical and get us noticed faster." They all nodded and poofed out, their chakra signatures disappearing altogether. "Now, let us see how far we can get without being caught." I said as we entered into the heart of the clans' home. People of all ages roamed around. Some looked at us, but went on after a while. I stopped and looked around. I noticed a large house like building that some people were entering and exiting. "Let's head there." I said, nodding my head in the direction. They boys followed my lead and we were soon in front of the building.

"Halt." Said a guard that appeared out of nowhere. I stumbled back in surprise before regaining my footing. The man looked at me, closely inspecting my features and I narrowed my eyes when he seemed to get a little closer. He grabbed my arm fast, and before I could do anything we left in a blink of an eye, Naruto's yell quickly being cut off. We landed, me not so gently, in front of an old woman and man. The strange guy from before shoved me forward and left the room. I looked at the older woman and stared deep into her cold eyes, then I reverted my gaze to the room around me. It was poorly lit, two candles being on either side of the people in front of me. Behind where they were seated was a wall painting of a beautiful woman with a bright light surrounding her small body, a gorgeous purple jewel resting on her chest.

The old woman slowly got up from her diamond covered seat and walked to me. I felt a tug deep in my chest and, as if on its own, my body walked to meet her halfway. We both finally stopped, a foot between us before she thrust her fist towards my chest. Even though she never touched me, the breath was heavily knocked out of me and my body sagged forward before the older man walked to me put his hand on my shoulder. I looked at both of them before they both let out a small laugh.

"Finally, we have found the next Houseki." The old woman whispered out. The man nodded, agreeing with her.

"W—what?" I said softly. I nervously tried to move my body but it wouldn't budge. My heart started to race when the lady lifted her other hand and touched my face gently.

"Calm down, child. We've waited for you a long time. Come." She said, ushering me to a barely noticeable door. We walked out into a decorated hallway, the same woman as before painted in different poses on the wall. We stopped at huge golden doors, a random man opening it up for us to walk in. We stopped in the middle of the room; she sat me down and then stood in front of me. "I'm sure you're wondering about what's going on." The old lady said. I nodded my head, unsure of what's happening. "My name is Miwa." She pulled out something purple from her kimono pocket and handed it out for me to see. "This is a piece of the Jewel of Truths." She said softly. I lifted to jewel piece closer to my face to study it better.

"Jewel of Truths? What does it do? And where is the rest of it?" My chest started to hum when I shifted the jewel closer to it. Curiosity got the best of me and I placed it even closer. A soft light emitted from my chest and I gasped in surprise. I jerked the jewel away and the humming slowed down.

"The Jewel of Truths gives the Houseki an almost infinite amount of power and chakra. It's respected place is to be rested upon the chest so it can grant it's full power. The hum in your chest is it reacting to the power it's been seeking." She gently took the jewel piece and put it back in her pocket. "I was once a Houseki too, but as you age, the power the chakra seeks from the jewel slowly seeps away. It's almost completely gone from my body." She took a seat in front of me and took my hand in hers. "What is your name dear?"

"My name is Eri. What is this 'power' and 'chakra' you speak of? Is that what this.. thing is inside me?" The older woman shook her head.

"There is no 'thing', my dear. You're chakra is special, as is every other woman born into the Hisoka clan after so long. Instead of your chakra pooling in the pit of your stomach like all other ninja, it pools in your chest. Long ago, a beautiful woman named Rie created the Jewel of Truths from her chakra. Every child born into the Hisoka clan is a descendant from the great Rie. And like every child born, every woman has the same chakra as her. Just a few special ones have a bit more and needs the Jewel of Truths to grant the full power." My hands started to shake a little.

"This is.. so much news to bare. Is it dangerous for me if I don't have the jewel?" I questioned, my grip slightly tightening.

"Not at all, but it is best if you have it. Sadly, we don't have the rest of the Jewel of Truths. An evil man has taken it, hoping to find you." My thoughts started leading to my uncle. Then I started to remember the kekkei genkai fathered told me about.

"My father mentioned a kekkei genkai, something about teleportation. I've met the man that has the rest ofthe jewel; while he was after me I witnessed him using this type of teleportation jutsu. Can you tell me more about it?" The woman smiled softly before starting to explain.

"Yes, the kekkei genkai. It's rare for any of the clan members to achieve this type of power. Usually, it's just the Houseki that can use it, but since Kichirou has gotten a hold of a part of the Jewel of Truths, he has acquired the teleportation power. I've allowed some guards use pieces of the jewel to use the jutsu in hopes of finding you, though." She sighed before she stood back up. "Please, come with me, I'd like to show you something." I then shakily got up and followed her.


	9. Chapter 9

**I felt the need to post this, even if it is a small chapter. The next will be longer, promise :p Please review.**

**Disclaimer: I'm getting tired of writing this haha. We all know I don't, obviously, own anything Naruto related.**

**Enjoy!**

**~findfaith**

* * *

Miwa lead me to a golden covered room; again the walls having a faint picture of that beautiful woman. I looked up to the ceiling and saw many people painted into a battle. She followed my gaze and began to tell the history of the magnificent painting. "This war happened two hundred years ago; mighty clans wanted the Jewel of Truths' so they could be superior. It lasted for over two months, and soon they gave up for Rie was so powerful and nearly destroyed them all." Rie stood in the middle of the painting, her hands cupped in front of her and a bright glow surrounded her. Men with many weapons ran towards her, but when they were at a certain distance, it was like the glow cut them down.

"It's really remarkable looking." I murmured to Miwa. She nodded her head in agreement before taking my elbow and steered me to a corner in the room.

"This shrine is the holder of what little fragments of the jewel we still possess, hopefully we can find Kichirou and acquire the rest so it can be pasted down to you." Miwa took the lone shard from her pocket and sat it with two other small ones.

"He's in the Leaf Village as of now. With help from an Anbu squad, a friend and I captured him almost a week ago. He's with the interrogation force and the Fifth Hokage, Lady Tsunade." I declared after staring at the cushion holding up the remainder pieces of the Jewel of Truths.

"Oh! Dear, please, you have to return it here immediately. We need to get the teleportation jutsu out of the guards and Kichirou so it has maximum power. It can backlash if not out of the humans who doesn't have the strong chakra to hold the immense power surging through it." Miwa clasped her hands tightly in mine, a pleading look on her face.

"Yes, of course," I said quickly. "If you need, one of my companions can get it and bring it here?" She nodded her head.

"Alright, but that's going to have to wait. I need to explain some things about this clan to you." Miwa sat me down beside her, facing the shrine. "It is true our clan is known for the brutality we seem to emit, but over the years we have changed. We had to leave our main village some time ago, the leader felt threatened by us because the clan leaders slaughtered the entire lower branch because of rebellion against the decisions being made." She looked sadly to the ground. "It was a terrible act, and it lasted for several days. I feel almost ashamed of being a part of this clan." She let go of my hand and created seals, putting me in a genjutsu type jutsu. Startled, I jumped and looked around at the blue swirling masses. Then ever so slowly a picture started to form in front of me.

People were running away from an unknown foe, screams of terror echoing. Fire was crackling as houses were being burnt down, then the next vision showed the next morning, the houses no longer anything but charred wood down to the ground. People had ropes wrapped around their arms and their heads hung low. Whispers pleading for forgiveness and prayers could be heard, and off in the distance cries were cut off as bodies were being carelessly thrown in a pile. Children were sobbing loudly as they watched the ordeal, crying louder when it came their turn. For days this went on before over half the clan was eliminated. Miwa released the jutsu and stared at the tears running down my face.

I watched as my tears hit the hardwood floor and my hands clenched together. "How could anyone do that?" I squeezed my eyes tighter as my tears became heavier. "Innocent people! Children!" My voice rose in my despair. I continued crying for a few minutes before I willed myself to stop. I sniffed heavily and wiped my face. "Now I know why my father left. That's absolutely horrendous. How could you let something like that happen?" My tone came out cold before I seen how her eyes were glazed over.

"I had no control of anything clan related. I'm just the Houseki, nothing I would've said could've been done. That was what the rebellion was about, anyway. The lower branch believed that the Houseki should be the clan leader instead of having multiple elders. The elders didn't like the refusal they were getting with the branch so they just.." Guilt played in her voice. "But things have changed in the past 15 years, the elder that declared the whole thing had passed away and new clan elders were picked for the generation. They changed many laws regarding the branches. We are all now treated equally." I nodded my head a little before I got up, the tingling sensation in my legs forcing me to move.

"Is that all I need to know?" I questioned, my voice sad.

"No, but that will have to wait until the Jewel of Truths is put together and resting on your chest." Miwa smiled faintly before leading me out of the room. She took me back to Naruto and Neji, them sitting rigid in the room I was first brought into. Naruto quickly stood up and ran to me.

"Eri! What's going on? I thought these people were dangerous?! They're serving us tea and dangos!" Naruto screamed at me, Neji sighed, apparently understanding that nothing bad was going to happen. "These people are sucking up to us before they set in a blow, we have to act first, believe it!" I sighed and face palmed myself.

"Naruto, it's alright. There's no danger. Neji, I need you to do something for me, go back to the village with some Anbu and bring me the jewel Kakashi and I got from Kichirou." Naruto looked at me with his mouth open.

"H—He can't just go and take it, Eri. Grandma Tsunade would kill him!" I sighed again.

"I didn't mean take it without notifying Lady Tsunade. I'll send a note with you explaining everything." I said, looking over towards Neji. He nodded his head when he watched a guard bring me a pencil and some paper. I wrote down my message and handed it back to him. "Go ahead and tell her that once things are settled here, I'll be coming back." Again, Neji nodded before taking the note and leaving quickly.


	10. AN

As you can see, I haven't posted anything in a while (awhile for me) and I apologize for that. For right now this story will be put on hiatus until I make a decision. I honestly haven't been feeling all up to writing anything, I've been pretty depressed and I don't know how long it'll be until I feel like writing again. I was also thinking of rewriting this story; I don't feel I did a good enough job on it. I'm sorry for anyone that was keeping up with this. It could be a few weeks to a few months before I end up posting anything else. If I rewrite it, I'll send another update on this story explaining the details about it and when I'll repost it. If you'd like, give me some ideas from where I could take it from the last chapter, I'd really appreciate it because it would help me a lot and possibly give me the motivation to start writing again, and maybe even sooner. Thank you.

I've finally reached my goal of viewers, btw haha. I've gotten over a 1,000, even though no one feels like reviewing. Oh well, I guess. Thank you, though, for taking your time to read this story. Please, please please please, leave a review to give me ideas, I seriously need them because I can't think of anything that would sound interesting.

~findfaith


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